The Garbha Deep has another symbolic interpretation. The dance symbolizes that God, represented in feminine form in this case, is the only thing that remains unchanging in a constantly changing universe ( jagat). As the cycle of time revolves, from birth, to life, to death and again to rebirth, the only thing that is constant is the Goddess, that one unmoving symbol in the midst of all of this unending and infinite movement. The rings of dancers revolve in cycles, as time in Hinduism is cyclical. Garba is performed in a circle as a symbol of the Hindu view of time. The dancers thus honor Durga, the feminine form of divinity. This lantern represents life the fetus in the womb in particular.
Traditionally, the dance is performed around a clay lantern with a light inside, called a Garbha Deep. The word Garba comes from the Sanskrit word for womb and so implies gestation or pregnancy – life. Either the lamp (the Garba Deep) or an image of the Goddess, Durga (also called Amba) is placed in the middle of concentric rings as an object of veneration. Traditionally, it is performed during the nine-day Hindu festival Navarātrī ( Gujarati નવરાત્રી Nava = 9, rātrī = nights). The circular and spiral figures of Garba have similarities to other spiritual dances, such as those of Sufi culture. Many traditional garbas are performed around a centrally lit lamp or a picture or statue of the Goddess Shakti. The name is derived from the Sanskritterm Garbha (“womb”) and Deep (“a small earthenware lamp”). Garba (ગરબા in Gujarati) is a form of dance that originated in the state of Gujarat in India.
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